Traffic movement will be regulated between 4 am and 9 pm and nearly 5,000 police officials will be deployed across Kolkata on Sunday as the Trinamool Congress Yuva Morcha holds a rally at Esplanade to observe Shahid Diwas, or Martyrs’ Day.

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Every year, the Trinamool Congress observes Matryrs’ Day on July 21 to commemorate the death of 13 political workers in police firing in 1993 under the then Left Front government.

Explained

Why Martyrs’ Day is significant

Every year, the Martyrs’ Day is observed on July 21 to commemorate the death of 13 people, who were killed in a police firing incident in 1993. The deceased were part of a demonstration by the West Bengal Youth Congress during the then Left Front government, demanding that Voter’s Identity Card be made the sole required document for casting vote. The demonstration was led by Banerjee, who was then with the Congress, and aimed at putting a stop to the CPM’s alleged “scientific rigging”.

Top officials, including Commissioner of Police Anuj Sharma and Joint Commissioner of Police (Headquarters) Jawed Shamim, visited the venue to oversee the preparedness on Saturday.

“All precautionary measures have been taken for tomorrow. Elaborate arrangements have been put in place so that people can easily reach the venue. All the divisional deputy commissioners will be deployed on the streets tomorrow,” said Shamim.

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“Nearly 5,000 police personnel will be deployed throughout the city on Sunday,” said a police official.

According to police officials, special barricades have been set up at various locations for crowd management. Quick Response Teams and Rapid Action Force will be deployed to meet any emergency. Medical units, ambulances, trauma care vehicles as well as fire brigade personnel will be kept on standby. Watch towers have been put up to keep an eye on the crowd.

In a notification, Kolkata Traffic Police Department stated that movement of all types of goods vehicles restricted within the city limits — under Kolkata Police’s jurisdiction — between 3 am and 8 pm.

No vehicle will be allowed to be parked in and around Victoria Memorial Hall, the stretch of AJC Bose Road between Hastings Crossing and Cathedral Road, Hospital Road, Queensway, Cathedral Road, Casuarina Avenue, and Lovers Lane.

Movement of all kinds of vehicles, including trams, will be temporarily suspended or diverted from 4 am to 8 pm when required, the police said.

“As offices and schools are closed on Sunday, so we are hopeful that people will not face much difficulty,” a senior traffic police official said.

Trinamool Congress workers will take out rallies from all corners of Kolkata and march towards the Esplanade venue. These rallies will pass through several roads, including Amherst Street, Bidhan Sarani (from KC Sen Street to Vivekananda Road), College Street, Brabourne Road, Strand Road (from Hare Street to Raja Woodmunt Street), B B Ganguly Street, Bentinck Street, New CIT Road and Rabindra Sarani (from BK Paul Avenue to Lalbazar Street). As a result, traffic movement will be affected on all these roads.